Parkmerced, one of San Francisco's few planned neighborhoods, wants to make life a touch easier for residents by offering them a monthly stipend for Uber. Being on the southwestern side of San Francisco, public transit in this neighborhood is a must, especially for those who do not drive. Ostensibly, this first-of-its-kind partnership would help residents not have to rely solely on public transportation.
The Verge has the story:
Uber is teaming up with the owners of a massive real estate development in San Francisco to offer new tenants a monthly $100 transportation stipend if they agree to go car-free. The money can be used for public transit, taxis, and car-sharing, as long as at least $30 is put toward Uber. The money is being provided by the owners of Parkmerced, a collection of 8,900 apartments in the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco.
Uber also says it will cap Uber Pool rides between Parkmerced and public transit hubs at $5 by creating a geofence around the property. Anyone taking an Uber Pool trip from the Parkmerced to the Bay Area Rapid Transit's Daly City or Balboa Park stations, as well as the West Portal MUNI, will pay a flat $5 fare. Riders going from those stations to Parkmerced will also only pay $5.
The plan also has the support of some City Hall dwellers, most notably District 8 supervisor and senatorial candidate Scott Wiener, who tweeted:
This is the future: transit-oriented development actively encouraging people to use #transit, helping them get there https://t.co/7bO06lKmPq
— Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) May 18, 2016
This will also be a boon for Uber, a privately-owned company, who called the plan "a building block for a smarter city future and exemplifies the creative ways in which Uber can make it possible for city dwellers to live car-free and connect the transportation network."
Built in the 1940s, the 3,221-residential unit (with 5,679 on the way), owned by Maximus Real Estate Partners, wants to refocus Parkmerced on public transit. "The long-term goal is to de-emphasize car use, bring Muni into the neighborhood and use 21st century solutions to transportation," P.J. Johnston, a Parkmerced spokesman, tells the Chronicle.
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